The Unfortunate Way Drug Cartels Profit From Mexican Avocados

All jokes about "millenials eating avocado toast" aside, who doesn't love an avocado? From a bowl of guacamole with creamy, roasted garlic to all kinds of salads and, well, a slice of avocado toast with plenty of seasonings, avocados seem to make everything better. Unfortunately, while these berries are immensely lovable (and yes, avocados are berries, scientifically speaking), the supply chain that produces them is not, especially avocados grown in Mexico and imported to the United States. 

In Mexico, drug cartels often force avocado growers to pay "protection" money: Workers and farmers are charged fees to access their crops, while truckers must pay to use transportation routes or face threats of violence. This generates profit for the cartels, and also increases the price of avocados.

Extortion in the avocado industry has become such big business, in fact, that it's leading to a turf war between two of Mexico's biggest cartels. The two groups — Jalisco Cartel New Generation (CJNG) and La Nueva Familia Michoacana (LNFM) — have both tried to expand into avocado extortion as demand for heroin has decreased, and their fight for control of the avocado industry has led to protests in avocado-producing regions of Mexico.

All of this information may be make you think twice about reaching for an avocado the next time you're shopping. While cartel activity in the avocado industry is a major problem, and one that the government of Mexico has not yet fully addressed, the avocado growers themselves are taking action. Communities impacted by violence have been forming self-defense groups and cooperative arrangements to protect themselves and their neighbors from the cartels. Hopefully, this means that avocados may be less impacted by cartels as these forms of resistance continue to spread.

If you want to be sure your avocados aren't putting money in a drug cartel's pockets, look for American-grown avocados. While many of the avocados sold in the United States originate in Mexico, America is actually a major avocado producer in its own rightCalifornia, in fact, leads the way by producing more avocados than any other U.S. state. Even better, American-grown avocados will likely traveled a shorter distance to your kitchen, which lowers their carbon footprint.